Automatic shut-off for delivery nozzles



1, 1936. J. A. LIPPERT ET AL F AUTOMATIC SHUT-OFF FOR DELIVERY NOZZLES Sept.

Filed June 18, -1934 llll a7t 0% fiaymorzd J Mailer Patented Sept. 1, 1936 PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC SHUT-OFF FOR DELIVERY NOZZLES John allippert and Raymond J. Maller, Oelwein, Iowa Application June 18, 1934, Serial no. 731,020

4 Claims. (01. 220-127) Our invention relates to improvements in liquid delivery devices, and an object of our improvements is to furnish an automatic shut-oi? means for such devices, particularly useful in the supplying of liquid fuel to automobiles.

Another object of our improvements is to provide vacuunr operated apparatus to facilitate this object as above stated, and whereby the operation is quickly accomplished and at a time when a reservoir can be filled without overflowing or waste of liquid, and entirely automatically and independently of the operator. 4

We have accomplished the above objects by the means which are hereinafter described and claimed, and which are illustrated in the accompa ying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a slightly reduced side elevation of the valve chamber part of a liquid delivery nozzle, with parts broken away or shown in vertical section. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of a vacuum cylinder connected toa vacuum chamber, the latter having a. vacuum tube to be governed by the closing of its remote end by rising liquid in a. tank being supplied by said nozzle, parts of these devices being broken away or shown in partial section. Fig. 3 is a medial longitudinal section of said vacuum chamber as in communication with a rotary vacuum pump, the latter shown in elevation, and said devices being directed in a ninety degree relation to the elements of said Fig. 2. All of the above figures are drawn to the same scale. Fig. 4 is a. side elevation showing the operating elements between the vacuum cylinder piston and the stem of the fuel delivery valve; with parts broken away.

5 is an elevation of said operatingeelements taken at an angle of ninety degrees from said Fig. 4, with parts broken away. Referring to said Fig. 1, the numeral E denotes a. delivery nozzle such as is adapted for use in supplyingiueloil to the tank of an automobile, and comprises a valve chamber i at an angle in the nozzle, containing a'valve head it! fitting a valve seat therein and having a stem 5 traversing a bearing la, the stem having on its outer end an adjustable contact nut 5a. 3 is an open handle inclosingsaid stem and associated devices without the valve chamber and fixed on the upper part of the nozzle chamber. A coiled compression spring 4! on that part of said stem which is within the valve chamber exerts a tensional push upon the valve 42 tending toretain the latter upon its seat. 2 is an end part of a. supply hose fitted in the nozzle. Bis the main part of the nozzle extending downwardly from chamber i. A On an inner projection 3a of the handle 3 is pivoted at 1 iurcations' 6d of a hand lever or arm 5, a short coiled compression spring 8 being held in engagementbetween the arm 6 and the adjacent inner wall oi the handle. The adjustable nut 5a acts as an end stop on the stem 5 for 5 the arm 6 which traverses loosely a slot 60 in the arm.

The numeral denotes a vacuum cylinder secured fixedly on and to depend from the lower horizontal portion of the handle 3. Within this cylinder (see Fig. 2) is an imperforate piston l6 whose upwardly directed stem I31; traverses reg istering bearing apertures in the upper head of the cylinder and the horizontal part of the handle 3. A link-arm II has one end pivoted at I I a to a part of the handle 3 and has its other end pivoted at I? to the top part I3 01 the stem Be. A bent arm 9ispivoted at I! to thearm ll andalsoto the top it of the stem l3a, and its longer member extends upwardly with a short side bracket 9a having top furcations 9b receiving the stem 5, and stopped by the adjustable nut a on the latter. The bracket 9a has a slot to. A bolt 40 traverses this slot and an alined hole in the arm 6, with a nut 400. on this belt, for slidable contacts of said bracket and arm. The upper part of the arm 9 is slidable in a loop 6a on the arm 6.

Referring next to said Fig. 2, which is shown as separated from the handle 3 for convenience, the bottom head of the vacuum cylinder It has a port l9 leading downwardly into an elbow 20 and to a pipe 20a coupled at 2017 to a boss 22 on one 'side of a. vacuum chamber 28, the latter being shown in Fig. 3 at an angle to the pipe 20a. This chamber 23 has an annular cavity ZLand a bore 20c leads through the boss 22 and the chamber body 23 and through a hollow nipple part of said body at 29 tocommunicate between the pipe 200; and the cavity 21 by way of the open end of the nipple. An elastic rubber diaphragm 28 seats upon the chamber 23 to close the cavity 27, and is removably held by a clamping ring 2! having an annular part seated in an annular groove 26 in the body 23 and secured by screws thereto, leaving the diaphragm exposed to the atmosphere, with the diaphragm slightly spaced from the nipple. The chamber 23 has a downward bore from the cavity 2'! to seat a coupling 36 g to 9. depending tube 31, positioned clme to but 50 shorter than the nozzle i.

Referring to said Fig. 3, the vacuum chamber 23 is in communication by means of a tube joint 26 with a rotary vacuum pump 32, the joint tube leading into the nipple bore 29. This pump is ar- 56 ranged to be in continuous operation in most filling stations. The rotor in the pump 32 may have a protruding stem carrying a belt-pulley 34. A minute passage 30 is provided in the chamber 23 leading from the atmosphere into the cavity 21, to serve as a drainage vent for the tube 31.

When the operator has inserted the nozzle end 4 accompanied by the shorter tube 31, as shown in Fig. 2, into the upper port of a tank 39, the lever 6 may be rocked to engage the nut 5a on the stem 5 and compress both springs 8 and 4| while opening the valve 42, permitting oil to traverse the valve chamber l and depending part of the nozzle at 4 to be deposited in the tank 39. The arm 9 is thus rocked also to draw up the stem I31; and the piston l4. As the lower part of the tube 3'! falls short of depending as far into mospheric pressure.

the tank as the nozzle 4, the tube is open to the atmosphere, as are also all of its communications with the cavity 21 in the chamber 23 by the bore 35, and the tube 20a by the bore 200 to the cylinder [4, the air in all of which remains at atworks idly.

However, when the upper level of the oil in the tank 39 reaches and closes the lower end of the tube 31, the bore is sealed, and the pump 32 exhausts theair from all of said communicating cavities, including the cylinder l4 whose piston I6 is moved downwardly, while the atmospheric pressure upon the outer wall of the diaphragm 28 draws its central part inwardly to close and seal the bore 29 of said nipple in the chamber 23. The air vent 30 is thus cut off. As the stem l3a is drawn downwardly with the piston l6 by the vacuum in the cylinder l4, the short member of the arm 9 is slid downwardly out of engagement with the nut 5a, allowing the spring 4| to return the valve 42, and thus automatically shut off the fuel supply to the tank 39 before the latter overflows, causing loss of the liquid fuel. No such loss can therefore occur because of inattention of the operator. The spring 8 at the same time returns the arm 6 to initial position as the operator releases it. The removal of the nozzle from the tank then permits reaction of the piston by air entering the tube 31. The fork 9a reengages the nut 5a as shown in Fig. 1.

The above operation of our device: is in the drawing illustrated at the moment when the fuel delivered by the nozzle 4 into the reservoir 39 has risen to a level therein which submerges the lower end of the tube 31, as in said Fig. 2. This tube being thus sealed, (see Fig. 3), the vacuum induced therein and in the chamber 21 has caused atmospheric pressure upon the outer face of the rubber diaphragm 28 to extend the latter to close the outer end of the passage 29. As shown in Fig. 2, by way of the passages 20c, 20a and" and the port i9 in the cylinder. I4, a vacuum is induced in said cylinder and the piston I6 is I -jdrawn downwardly with the stem l3a, and as I shown in Fig. 1 the arm 9 is lowered to disengage its shorter furcation 9b from the nut stop 5a, so that thestem 5 is'released, and the valve 42 is closed by the spring 4|. This train of actions is thifs'automatic in instantly closing the valve 42,- the supply of, fuel being prevented, and the tank or reservoir 39 prevented from overflowing.

When the operator lifts thelower end of. the tube 31 above the liquid in the tank 39, air passes t the cylinder I 4 by way'of the chamber 23 and tub: 20a as the diaphragm 28 reacts. The atmospheric pressure below the piston l6 lifts it to return the arm 9 to lock with the nut 5a, due to the The pump 32 therefore close the nipple.

aosa'oos 6, and the spring 8 will return it, the handle mov- 6 ing loosely over the stem 5 to its initial position by reason of the slot-bearing 6c in the handle. Air entering the cylinder M then returns the piston l6, and the short furcation 9b of the bracket 9:: on the arm rises and reengages the nut 5a.

We claim:

1. In an apparatus of the character described having a nozzle containing a valve chamber, a valve therein, and means for operating said valve includingresilient controlling means therefor, the combination therewith of vacuum producing means, amovable releasable reactive catch-device for occasional locking engagement with the valve operating means, a vacuum cylinder, 2. piston therein linked reactive with said catch-device, a vacuum chamber in communication with said vacuum cylinder and with said vacuum producing means, a tube adjoining said nozzle in communication with said vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber having an open end and an elastic diaphragm closure therefor, and the chamber having an open nipple spaced slightly from said diaphragm, and providing its communication with the vacuum producing means, and the chamber having a minute port to the atmosphere closed to its communication to the vacuum producing means when the outer end of said tube is closed and the diaphragm closure tensed to close the nipple. v

2. In an apparatus of the character described having a nozzle containing a valve chamber, a valve therein, and means for operating said valve including resilient controlling means therefor, the combination therewith of vacuum producing means, a movable releasable catch-device for occasional releasably reactive locking engagement with 'the valve operating means, a vacuum cylinder, a piston therein, linked with said catchdevice, a vacuum chamber in communication with said .vacuum cylinder and with said vacuum producing means, a tube adjoining said nozzle in communication with said vacuum chamber, the

vacuum chamber having an open end and an elas- 5 the atmosphere closed to its communication to the vacuum producing means when the outer end of said tube is closed and the diaphragm tensed to 3. In an apparatus of the character described having a nozzle containing a valve chamber, a 6

valve therein, resilient controlling means therefor, the'combination therewith of vacuum producing means, a movable releasable catch-device for occasional releasably reactive locking engagement with the valve operating means, a vacuum ylinn der, a" piston therein, said piston having g means to said catch-device, a vacuum chamber in communication with said vacuum cylinder and with said vacuum producing means,a swingable hand-lever on said nozzle, said valve having a 7 stem loosely connected to said hand-lever for limited to and fro movements relative thereto. said hand-lever having anapertured bearing ear thereon, said catch-device'being a finger pivotaily connected to said linking means and slidabiy 7 mounted on said lever in said bearing ear, and having a bracket part adiustably connected to said hand-lever, resilient means bearing upon said hand-leveroppositely to the resilient controlling means for said valve, a tube adjoining said nomle in communication with said vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber having an open end with an elastic closure, and the chamber having its opposite end closed and shaped with an inwardly directed nipple in communication with the vacuum producing means and positioned to be closed by said elastic closure when a vacuum is produced within the chamber.

- 4. In apparatus of the character described, having a nozzle with Wally controlled valvular hn sWe combination therewith of a vacuum c mber having an elastic closure for one end and having at its opposite end an apertured nipple positioned adjacent said elastic closure to have its apertured end closed thereby when vacuum is induced in the chamber, said vacuum chamber having a tube leading alongside said nozzle toward its delivery end, and operating linking means including a cylinder communicating with said chamber and having a piston releasably connected to the said valvular means and controlled by a vacuum in said chamber, whereby when the tube is terminally closed by submergence of its outer end in a liquid delivered by the nozzle, 10

a vacuum is induced in the chamber,'causing the closure to close the inwardly projecting nipple the release and closing of the manually controlled ll nozzle valve.

JOHN A. UPPER-T. RAYMOND J. MALLER. 

